To these he also showed himself alive after he suffered, by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking about God's Kingdom.

While He was together with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “This,” He said, “is what you heard from Me;

So when they had come together, they asked Him repeatedly, “Lord, are You at this time reestablishing the kingdom and restoring it to Israel?”

but ye shall receive power of the holy ghost which shall come on you. And ye shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, and in all Jewry, and in Samaria, and even unto the world's end."

Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey.

These men continued in united prayer [for the kingdom to come? See 1:6; Matt. 6:10] along with [certain] women, Mary the mother of Jesus and His [half-] brothers.

(Now this man [Judas] paid for [in a sense] a [burial] field with the reward money he had received for his sinful act [of betraying Jesus, See Matt. 27:3-10]. [Then, some time after Judas hanged himself, See Matt. 27:5] he fell down headlong, [his swollen body] bursting so that his intestines gushed out.

And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.

"For it was written [about Judas] in the book of Psalms [69:25]: 'Let the place where he lives become deserted, with no one living there' and [Psa. 109:8] 'Let someone else fill his ministry.'

So of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus spent with us,

So they proposed two: Joseph, called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.

Then they prayed, "Lord, you know the inner thoughts of all men, so show us which one of these two men should be selected

To take that position as a servant and Apostle, from which Judas by his sin was shut out, so that he might go to his place.

Then they cast lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias. So he was numbered with the 11 apostles.

SO when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with unanimity assembled together.

and they saw tongues of what looked like fire distributing themselves over the assembly, and on the head of each person a tongue alighted.

And they [i.e., the apostles] were all filled with [the power of] the Holy Spirit and began to speak ["the mighty accomplishments of God," See verse 11] in different languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them the ability.

So when this noise was heard, they came crowding together, and were amazed because everyone heard his own language spoken.

Being so amazed and astounded [at something so unusual happening], they exclaimed, "Look! are not all these men who are speaking from [the country of] Galilee?

So how is it that each one of us hears them speaking in his own native language:

And thus they all continued to be astounded and bewildered, and continued to say to each other, "What can this mean?"

And others mocking, continued to say, that these people are full of fermented wine.

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be explained to you; listen closely and pay attention to what I have to say.

For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it’s only nine in the morning.

But what you see happening is simply [the fulfillment of] what was predicted by the prophet Joel [2:28ff],

And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

Even on My bond-servants, both men and women,
I will in those days pour out My Spirit
And they shall prophesy.

[In that day] the sun will become dark and the moon will [appear] as blood. [This will all happen] before the great and wonderful day when the Lord comes. [Note: Some view these last two verses as a reference to events occurring at the end of time. See Matt. 24:29-30].

“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man accredited and pointed out and attested to you by God with [the power to perform] miracles and wonders and signs which God worked through Him in your [very] midst, just as you yourselves know—

Though He was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail Him to a cross and kill Him.

But God raised Him up, having released Him from the sharp pains [He experienced when dying], because it was not possible that He could be held in death's grip.

For David says of Him,

‘I saw the Lord constantly before me;
For He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken [from my state of security].

So my heart is glad and my tongue exults, and my body still lives in hope.

Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

You have made me see the ways of life; I will be full of joy when I see your face.

Brethren, I may say unto you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us unto this day.

So then, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne,

He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

So, God raised this Jesus up [from the dead] and we [apostles] are all witnesses [of it].

Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

Now David is not the one who ascended into heaven for he [spoke of Jesus when he] said [Psa. 110:1], 'The Lord [i.e., God] said to my [i.e., David's] Lord [i.e., Jesus], sit at my right side

Therefore, let all those who make up the household of Israel [i.e., God's people] know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ."

And having heard, they were pricked to the heart; they say also to Peter, and to the rest of the apostles, 'What shall we do, men, brethren?'

And Peter replied, "Every one of you must repent [i.e., change your hearts and lives] and be immersed in the name of Jesus Christ [i.e., by His authority] so that your sins will be forgiven [by God] and then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit [to live in your hearts].

For the promise [of forgiveness and the Holy Spirit] is being given to you [Jews] and to your descendants and [also] to all those who are far away [i.e., Gentiles. See Eph. 2:17]. [This promise is] to as many as [respond to] the Lord, our God's call [through the Gospel, See II Thess. 2:14]."

So, Peter testified and urged the crowd with many additional words, saying, "Save yourselves from [the condemnation coming on] this sinful generation [by responding to this message]."

So those who accepted his message were baptized, and on that day about three thousand souls were added.

They were continually and faithfully devoting themselves to the instruction of the apostles, and to fellowship, to eating meals together and to prayers.

Everyone [who saw this happen] was filled with awe at the many miracles and [supernatural] signs performed by the apostles.

They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need.

Day after day they met in the temple [area] continuing with one mind, and breaking bread in various private homes. They were eating their meals together with joy and generous hearts,

And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;

So when he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking [them] for coins.

But Peter, along with John, stared at him intently and said, “Look at us!”

So he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.

Then he seized the man’s right hand with a firm grip and raised him up. And at once his feet and ankles became strong and steady,

So he jumped up, stood, and started to walk, and he entered the temple complex with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.

And all the people saw him walking and praising God:

and they recognized that he was the one who used to sit and beg at the Beautiful Gate of the temple complex. So they were filled with awe and astonishment at what had happened to him.

And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering.

And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?

The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, - the God of our fathers, hath glorified his servant Jesus: - whom, ye, indeed, delivered up and denied to Pilate's, face when he had adjudged to release him;

You, I say, disowned the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for the release of a murderer!

And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.

Repent ye therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that so there may come seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord;

so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and he may send the Christ appointed for you--Jesus,

who must be received into heaven until [God's appointed] times when everything will be restored [to its intended purpose]. God had spoken about this through the proclamations of His holy prophets of long ago.

For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.

[Deut. 18:19 says], 'And it will be [at that time] that every person who does not listen to that prophet will be completely destroyed [spiritually] from among [God's] people.'

And indeed all the prophets from Samuel and consecutively, so many as spoke, also proclaimed these days.

So they arrested them and put them in jail until the next day, because it was evening.

however, many who heard Peter's discourse, believed, to the number of about five thousand people.

and Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all those who were from the high priest's family.

So they made the Apostles stand in the centre, and demanded of them, "By what power or in what name have you done this?"

Let me tell you all and all the people of Israel, that it is by the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead--it is, I say, by his Name that this man stands here before you lame no longer.

He is that [Psa. 118:22], 'stone that was rejected by you builders but was made the principal stone by which the entire building is aligned.'

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.

So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin while they conferred among themselves.

Saying, What are we to do with these men? for certainly it is clear to all who are living in Jerusalem that a most important sign has been done by them, and it is not possible to say that it is not so.

However, so this does not spread any further among the people, let’s threaten them against speaking to anyone in this name again.”

So they sent for them, and commanded them not to speak [as His representatives] or teach at all in the name of Jesus [using Him as their authority].

But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it’s right in the sight of God for us to listen to you rather than to God, you decide;

for we cannot but speak the things which we saw and heard.

So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done.

for the man who was so miraculously cured, was above forty years old.

So, after Peter and John were released, they went [back to the other disciples] and reported everything the leading priests and elders [of the Jews] had said to them.

And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:

who by the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David thy servant, didst say, Why did the Gentiles rage, And the peoples imagine vain things?

to do so many things as thy hand and thy counsel did foreordain to come to pass.

So, now Lord, take account of the threats [of these Jewish leaders] and give your servants all the boldness [we need] to speak your message,

While your hand is stretched out to do works of mercy; so that signs and wonders may be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.

When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak God’s message with boldness.

Among all those who had embraced the faith there was but one heart and soul, so that none of them claimed any of his possessions as his own, but everything they had was common property;

The Apostles continued with great power to bear their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God's blessing rested upon them all abundantly.

For there was not so much as anyone, lacking, among them; for, as many as were possessors of lands or houses, selling them, were bringing the prices of the things that were being sold,

And laying them at the feet of the Apostles, while on the other hand they were distributing unto each one, in so far as any one had, need.

So Joseph, who was called Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated "son of encouragement"), a Levite of Cyprus by nationality,